Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The Great Kidnapping Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 19, 2022

Roberto Infascelli's "The Great Kidnapping" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Raro Video. The only bonus feature on the release is an exclusive new program with critic Mike Malloy. In Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Mike Malloy is correct to point out that there is a legit relationship between Roberto Infascelli’s The Great Kidnapping (1973) and Steno’s Execution Squad (1972). Infascelli produced both films. Enrico Maria Salerno plays a police captain in both films as well. But should The Great Kidnapping be considered a legit sequel of Execution Squad? And can you view and enjoy The Great Kidnapping without having seen Execution Squad?

Salerno plays completely different characters, and while similar, the drama they become involved with is not related. There are specific themes that appear in both films, but they do not emerge from shared events. Infascelli and Steno’s directing styles are quite different as well, so The Great Kidnapping and Execution Squad do not even have similar identities. (Another film Malloy mentions that has been grouped with The Great Kidnapping and Execution Squad to form a trilogy is Killer Cop. However, this is not a legit trilogy either).

While not factual, the events that are at the center of The Great Kidnapping are reflective of a trend that defined Italian politics during the 1970s. However, this trend started during the early 1960s when the Soviet Union began sponsoring various revolutionary groups whose goal was to crumble the post-war socio-political system in Italy and replace it with a new regime controlled by a friendly government. Some of these groups were local, but Italy was a favorite target for international outfits like Baader-Meinhof and the Red Brigades as well. (Why Italy? Because it was the West European country with the biggest and most influential Communist Party, and because by the late 1960s many of its members already openly supported military intervention to move the country to the other side of the Iron Curtain. (Some of these developments are quickly highlighted in Francesco Rosi’s Lucky Luciano). As a result, virtually all operations that were carried out by these groups were very carefully coordinated with the knowledge of, or under the direction of, foreign parties. The biggest and most dramatic operation was carried out by the Red Brigades. In 1978, one of its Italian cells kidnapped and executed Prime Minister Aldo Moro. (For more on the subject, see Marco Bellocchio’s Buongiorno, Notte a.k.a. Good Morning, Night which reconstructs the final days of Prime Minister Moro).

Two-thirds of The Great Kidnapping are shot as a pseudo-documentary that mimics the style of Rosi’s films from the same period. While investigating the terrorist cell behind some of the country’s biggest kidnapping cases, Inspector Cardone (Salerno) makes a shocking discovery – some of his colleagues and high-ranking social servants (Jean Sorel, Lee J. Cobb) are unwilling to unreservedly support his efforts to terminate the cell. Inspector Cardone vows to finish the job, but when his son is kidnapped, he is forced to reevaluate his priorities. All of these developments blend drama and politics that recreate the socio-political climate in Italy during the 1970s.

The final third of The Great Kidnapping promotes the specific type of intense action that made the poliziotteschi films big international hits. After Inspector Cardone and his men uncover where his kidnapped son is held, a quick rescue operation is greenlighted but very little goes according to initial expectations.

Execution Squad is the flashier film, but The Great Kidnapping is the better time capsule because it uses Inspector Cardone’s frustration to make it painfully obvious that during the 1970s high-profile crime cases in Italy were politically motivated. The kidnapping cases, like the ones that are investigated by Inspector Cardone, were part of a very specific political strategy as well.

If the very intense chase footage puts you on the edge of your seat, you should not be surprised. Infascelli used the services of cinematographer Ricardo Pallottini, who together with Franco Delli Colli lensed the cult action thriller Highway Racer.

Created by Stelvio Cipriani, the soundtrack of The Great Kidnapping has something of a cult status. In years past, its opening theme has been used in various European TV programs.

*If the subject matter of The Great Kidnapping appeals to you, consider viewing Marco Tullio Giordana's more recent thriller Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy.

The Great Kidnapping Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Great Kidnapping arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Raro Video.

The release is sourced from a very healthy recent remaster. Even though there are some minor density fluctuations, from start to finish the film boasts a very attractive organic appearance. Delineation, clarity, and depth are very good, though I have to say that if the film was placed on a dual-layer disc, the entire presentation would have been gorgeous. No, I did not encounter any troubling encoding anomalies, but I could tell that in a few areas the visuals could have been even more impressive. I like the color grading job, too. Only during the prologue there are a few seconds where some minor aging has altered the color balance a bit, but the rest looks very convincing (see example in screencapture #6). There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is very good. I noticed a few nicks, but the film still looks very clean. All in all, I really like how good this release turned out. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Great Kidnapping Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

Obviously, the non-Italian stars utter their lines in English and were overdubbed in Italian, which is the reason why there is noticeable unevenness. However, the Italian track still could have been remastered. I think that the overall quality of the audio is still perfectly fine, but I want to make it clear that when the current master was prepared, the audio was not meticulously restored. It appears that it was transferred with all of its limitations, some of which are a byproduct of aging.

The Great Kidnapping Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Tough Guy Mike Malloy on Lee J. Cobb - in this recent program, critic Mike Malloy discusses Lee J. Cobb's acting career in America and Europe as well as the evolution of the Italian crime thriller during the 1970s. There are some particularly interesting comments about Cobb's admission that he was a member of the Communist Party, his blacklisting, and the manner in which Italian film producers treated him while promoting their films. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

The Great Kidnapping Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is great to see Raro Video bringing classic and cult Italian films to Blu-ray again. When the boutique label is active, the Blu-ray market is a much more exciting place. I know Roberto Infascelli's The Great Kidnapping very well, so I just wanted it to look very good on Blu-ray. It does, and I could not be happier to finally have a quality release of it in my library. The Great Kidnapping is a fine time capsule that has preserved the chaos and paranoia that defined the socio-political climate in Italy during the 1970s. The drama that unfolds in it is set in a small town in Northern Italy, but it is of the exact same kind that routinely rocked Milan and Rome. Only a couple of years after The Great Kidnapping was released, members of the terrorist organization Red Brigades kidnapped and executed Prime Minister Aldo Moro. Raro Video's Blu-ray release is Region-Free. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.